NAC Stadium Survey Results Overview

Nothing more personifies the unique pleasure of the American sports fans experience than consuming a burger or hot-dog washed down with a soda or beer at their favorite stadium.

Yet, from the Accrington Stanley soccer club to the new hi-tech home of the Atlanta Braves, there’s nothing more globally synonymous for sports fans than waiting in line to buy something from the stadium concession.

In our latest in-depth concession study, SurveyMe explores American sports fans' thoughts and habits in regard to their concession experience. Specifically, we look at concession wait line time and the use of mobile app technology to future-proof concession spending. Throughout our study, we identify whether in-seat mobile ordering is worth investing in, to whom in-seat ordering appeals most, and which demographic among American sports fans is currently the MVP regarding concession spending.

Over 30 days in June-July 2018, regular sports stadium attendees across the USA were asked 10 questions about their concession experience. SurveyMe software automatically recorded the time, date and geo-location of each response to verify its accuracy and completeness. Results were analyzed by age, gender and income.

SurveyMe experts used the SurveyMe SM@RT Insights™ Interactive Dashboard. Within this study, where relevant, we have cross-referenced other specialized nationwide guest studies in parallel industries. Finally, results have been sense-checked by operators and professionals with unrivaled concession industry experience.

For the complete 58 page report, you can click below or contact one of our team members who will be happy to assist you.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak at some of our findings:

General Demographics:

55% of ALL respondents were over 30 years old.

30% of ALL respondents state that in-seat concession ordering is more desirable than discounts or “combo” pricing.

On average, respondents spend $55 at the concession stand and $115 on merchandise, meaning, stadium guests are likely to spend 52% more on stadium merchandise than on a concession item.

35% of ALL respondents make between $50-75k a year with 41% of those between the ages of 30-39.

23% of respondents make less than $25k a year. Of that, 67% were between the ages of 18-24.

Males, aged 25-29 year olds who make between $50-75k a year spend $200.46 on merchandise and concessions, on average.

Females, aged 25-29 year olds who make between $50-75k a year spend $208.62 on merchandise and concession.

Question 1: We're considering offering in-seat ordering from an app. How disappointed would you be if we did not offer this?”

Overall, 77% of respondents were "somewhat" or "very disappointed" at the prospect of NOT being able to use in-seat ordering from a mobile app.

Males most willing to use an app for in-seat orders also currently spend most at the concession.

Of those who said they were "very disappointed" at not being able to use in-seat ordering, 49% were Male.

Question 2: “If we added an option to purchase merchandise from the team store and have it delivered to your seat, how likely are you to use it?”

61% of respondents rated this question at an 8 or higher.

80% of those who rated their desire to have merchandise delivered at an 8 or higher responded as being also "somewhat" or "very" disappointed at not being offered in-app concession ordering.

Out of all demographics, 25-29 year olds were the most likely to want merchandise delivered to their seats, rating 8.35 on a 0-10 scale, followed by 30-39 year olds at 7.85.

Question 3: “How far are you willing to travel to attend a sports game or event?”

On average, guests are willing to travel 71 miles. This is consistent for all demographics. It is almost twice the distance (39 miles) and four times (18 miles) the distance that moviegoers are willing to travel to a Drive-In or hardtop theatre respectively for a similar time-length entertainment experience*.

25-29 year olds, on average, will travel the farthest at 77 miles. They are also the most likely to purchase merchandise from the team store and want to have it delivered to their seat (rating at 8.35 on a 0-10 scale, where ‘0 = not at all likely’ and ‘10 = extremely likely’ to purchase).

Question 4: “Which of the following [concession benefits] would you most enjoy?”

For this multiple choice question, we primarily analyzed responses by total responses per age group.

Overall, the most popular choices were In-Seat Concession ordering (30%) followed by 2 for 1 Deals (29%).

Out of those who picked In-Seat Concession ordering, 27% also picked 2 for 1 Deals.

By age group responses, In-Seat Concession ordering appeared the most in 40-49 year old responses (60%) and 30-39 year old responses (54%) although it was a fairly popular choice across all demographics.

Those who primarily chose in-seat concession ordering usually wait an average of 24.9 minutes in line and think the most acceptable amount to wait is 22.69 minutes.

Questions 5 & 6: “How long do you usually wait in line to be served at the concession in this stadium?” “What do you think is the MAXIMUM acceptable amount of time to wait in line at concession?”

Respondents say their average wait time at a sports venue concession is 24.56 minutes.

Broken down by age group, 25-29 year olds and 40-49 year olds wait the longest at 27.43 minutes.

25-29 year old Males wait the longest at 27.72 minutes, followed by 40-49 year old Males at 27.43 minutes.

Among Female demographics, 30-39 year olds wait the longest at 26.96 minutes, followed by 25-29 year old women at 26.95 minutes.

Question 7: “What do you usually buy at the concession?”

While not an exhaustive list, hot-dogs are the most popular concession stand purchase at the stadium (46% of total respondents).*

Filtered by those who spend over $20 at the concession, Hot Dogs and Hamburgers still remain the most popular choices at 18%. Sorted by responses requesting Hot Dogs, 51% of all filtered responses were from Males.

Question 8: “Which item(s) would you like to see added to the concession?”

By purchase, the 4 most popular choices included: French Fries (24%), Coffee (17%), Fruit & Veggies (14%), and Chips (13%).

34% of those who chose French Fries also asked for in-seat concession ordering as an option they would like and 44% said 2-for-1 deals.

Broken down by age group, French Fries are most popular with those between the ages of 18-24, with 60% choosing it as an option.

We hope you found this sneak peek at some of our data useful and intriguing!

Our full study also covers how much guests typically spend on merchandise and concessions, variables that affect pricing and in-app purchasing, and what demographics stadiums should be marketing to. To get your copy of all the juicy details -- click below to download our complete report.